The present invention relates to a fixing structure for parts that are disposed within a fuel tank of motor vehicles or the like.
In several fuel tanks made of resin that are used for motor vehicles or the like, such as a fuel tank 41 shown in FIG. 1, the tank is arranged to fix functional internal parts, such as a fuel gauge, to the interior of the tank body 42. For instance, in fixing a fuel gauge 43, a service opening 44 is formed in the top wall 42a of the tank body 42, and a fuel gauge 43 is inserted through the service opening 44. Then, a lid 45 which is attached to the top of the fuel gauge 43 is fixed to the service opening 44 via a packing 46, and the lid 45 is tightly fixed to the service opening 44 with a cap 47. (A similar structure is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 59-156822.)
Due to the circumstance that various kinds of tubes are to be inserted into the fuel tank 41 and a buffer plate and other parts are to be attached to it, the positions for fixing the internal functional parts such as fuel gauge 43 within the fuel tank 41 are necessarily limited. The possible positions are further limited due to the geometry of the fuel tank and the position of the service opening 44. Accordingly, it has become evident that the installation of functional internal parts will be difficult when the position of the service opening 44 and the position of the fuel gauge 43 are offset each other.